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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Parenting is Hard

I'm having a not so great parenting moment. There are so many times that my kids make my heart nearly burst from love overdose and they both provided me with several tonight: Isaiah's impromptu dancing in the kitchen, Micah giggling while I tickled his belly, Isaiah leaning his head into my shoulder and suddenly deciding he wants a kiss. I live for those moments.

However, there were several moments from tonight that have left me feeling frustrated rather than fulfilled. We're still struggling with bedtime issues and it is seriously stressing me out. The nightmares are happening a little less often now, but the actual going to bed part is getting more problematic. I will lay Isaiah down and he won't fly off the handle, but will point to the chair next to his bed and say "Sit." He wants us to sit next to his bed for a few minutes until he falls asleep. I did this last night and he was asleep within 5 minutes. Tonight I figured I would try to be a little more strict and told Isaiah he could go to sleep on his own. I left the room and he proceeded to scream his head off. I paced the living room and asked Evan what he thought I should do. His response of, "Whatever you think is best" was less than helpful. When I finally got his opinion out of his mouth, he figured I should just go sit in the chair. What harm is it? So, I gave in and went in to calm Isaiah down. After a couple quick hugs, I sat in the chair and listened to him scream at me for another 4-5 minutes before he calmed down enough to go to sleep.

The whole time I was in the chair, I was trying to recall episodes of Supernanny I've watched to try to get a clue of what to do about this bedtime thing. Is it a terrible, horrible idea to kee up with this whole "sit in the chair" routine or do I quit it cold turkey and deal with the screaming, sleep-deprived kid (and parents!) in the process?

About Me

I'm Sarah. I live in Wisconsin and I love everything about it. Except the winter. And the humidity in the summer. And the mosquitoes. Ok, so mostly I love cheese, beer and the Packers. My house is full of trucks, dirt, and torn jeans. Coffee is crucial.

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